Learning Management Systems: Creating sustainable training support for Corporate Learners

The shelf life of acquired knowledge and skills in the corporate world is getting shorter by the day. This increases the (already tremendous) pressure on corporate learners to proactively learn and get trained – throughout their careers. With technology-aided learning, e-courses are now readily available for learners’ consumption anytime and anywhere.

Corporations put Learning Management Systems (LMS) in place to make learning available in an easily accessible manner. But learning is not a one-time event in the calendar of a corporate learner – it is an ongoing and continuous process. Thus the LMSs today need to be equipped to do more than only making e-content available and tracking the learners’ progress. They need to create a sustainable system of training support that reinforces learning, assesses learners, provide intelligent inputs on the way forward for future learning, and much more. The good news is that most modern LMSs have features that create a training support system through various channels to make sure that training is not just about downloading information but a continuous process of gaining and honing skills.

Notifications to keep the learner on top of things

The modern LMS provides the opportunity for training managers to instantly upload relevant content and provide easy access to necessary data.

• To help learners further, modern LMSs also provide instant notifications through email or SMS.
• The learner is thus notified every time a relevant course is added – whether the course is mandatory or not. This helps him to plan his own learning and learn as per his training priorities.

Mobile Accessibility for just-in-time training

With the advent and growing popularity of  mobile learning, LMSs are also aligning to the new platform of learning to increase the reach and accessibility of learning.

• The mobile platform is especially suitable for creating an avenue for training support as the learner can access it wherever and whenever he feels the need to learn.
• New-age LMSs are now accessible on the mobile platform – most popularly through mobile apps. These apps, once downloaded, allow the learner to access the LMS from anywhere.
• Learning re-enforcements like checklists, short videos and audio clips can be made available to sustain training through elements that align very well with the mobile platform and can be made use of even when on the move.

Social Learning Features to encourage collaboration

One of the oft-cited drawbacks of online learning is that it is an isolated event and that the learner does not enjoy the benefits of social interactions.

• Modern LMSs however have multiple avenues for learners to congregate and collaborate on social platforms like wikis, discussion boards and chat within the confines of the system.
• They also provide instant connect with social media platforms outside the system, like LinkedIn or Twitter, to mingle with experts as well as other learners from different backgrounds.
• In addition to course content, this avenue of social interaction opens the learner’s mind to different perspectives and views.
• Training and learning is enhanced further when the learner is encouraged to discuss the topics learnt and share his understanding with peers.

Tests and Assessments

Assessing the learner from time to time is an integral part of training.  LMSs today provide various levels of assessment – testing, evaluation, reporting and certification.

• Multiple types of tests can be built to provide a qualitative and quantitative analysis of how much or how well the learner has learn.
• Question banks can be built and maintained.
• Objective questions can be automatically screened and scored. Instructors can be allowed to score subjective questions online.
• The whole process of scoring and publishing reports can be automated as per the requirements of the training managers.
• With a streamlined process of assessing the learners, the effectiveness of training can very well be gauged, and continued efforts can be directed to make it even more effective.

Skill-Gap Analysis

So you have conducted training for your learners and evaluated them as well. What now? As a training manager this is often a difficult question as it is necessary to evaluate not only the knowledge that the learner has acquired but also the skills that he has learn and mastered.

• Skill-Gap analysis is yet another feature of modern-day LMSs which helps training managers evaluate training needs as per the existing requirements or gaps.
• This automated analysis can be conducted to create a repository of existing skills in an organization and highlight the gaps in skills.
• It can also be utilized to create customized learning plans for a learner group – or even individual learners – to help training managers chart the further course of learning.
• Administrators and managers can use it to choose from the best possible options available when assigning jobs within the organization. This in turn ensures better productivity and results.
• In addition, learners can use it themselves to assess their skills and chart their learning accordingly – hence taking control of their own training path.

With sustained training support, learners are encouraged to take a vested interest in their own learning. This shift has been a definite trend across the corporate world and LMS providers today take this fact into account. Modern LMS thus are progressively built to provide not just training but sustained support to make sure that the training is most effective. Our proprietary LMS WiZDOM has incorporated the need for continual training support and has in-built features to support the same. To know more, write to in**@gc**********.net